


An Unexpected Complication

by Annie_Is_A_Contranym



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-06
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 20:04:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/957080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie_Is_A_Contranym/pseuds/Annie_Is_A_Contranym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is crushing on his boss's older brother but that doesn't mean he's gay right?  He's totally hetero and even if he wasn't it's not like anything could ever come of it since Castiel Novak goes out of his way to ignore Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was my very first fanfic ever. It's a lot lighter than my recent fare but it seems I am doomed to hold an angst filled pen. If you've read it before, I hope it brings back pleasant memories, make you smile. If you haven't, I really hope you enjoy it enough to let me know. :)

For a straight man, Dean Winchester was acting decidedly gay. Really though, who could blame him? In the eight months he had been working as the Assistant Quartermaster for Novak Security Consultants (NSC), the Monday morning powwow that placed him in the same boardroom as heir apparent Castiel Novak, had been both the highlight of his week and the reason he turned into a mass of insecurities. From his usual seat slightly behind his boss, Gabriel Novak, Dean could look at side profile of Cas (as he secretly called him) without fear of being caught. Cas always sat beside Gabe at the table. He rarely spoke at these meetings allowing his brothers, and partners in the company, to take lead. He only occasionally stepped in to break up personality clashes between Luke and Michael and of course to rein in Gabe whose nickname "The Trickster" completely matched his personality. He never raised his voice but he never had to. That rich gravel tone made everyone pay attention especially Dean who built many a fantasy around hearing that angelic voice whisper many not so angelic things to him.

In fact, Dean had heard that voice long before he met the man. Back then, he'd been a mechanic at Singers Auto Works which did some specialized jobs for NSC. He had started out simply repairing and restoring the vehicles that Gabe brought in almost weekly. He and Gabe developed a friendship of sorts. Though he was often the butt of Gabe's jokes, he liked that on the odd occasion when he risked his job by retaliating the older man took it in stride, complementing Dean on his creativity and laughing along with him. After about a year of this, he was under one of the Novak vehicles, when two sets of feet approached. He recognized the familiar pair of Gabe's shoes but not the other. The feet moved around the garage, probably as the men checked out the vehicles and then stopped next the car he was working on. That's when he heard it.

"I'll grant that he's talented with repair and restoration but do you think he's ready to progress to modification?"

Dean was glad he was hidden from view because damn if that voice didn't tent his workpants. Gabe offered his assurances that Dean could do whatever task the two men were discussing and that voice again…."Bring him in. I'm available Monday morning."

With that, the mystery man's feet walked away, leaving only the sounds of rustling plastic, which meant Gabe was unwrapping candy yet again in the shop. After a couple heartbeats, Dean slid out from under the car looking up at Gabe.

"I'd like to offer you a job Dean-O, one that pays much better than this. A job that will see Sammy through law school with money left over so you can have a decent life."

Gabe knew that Dean's one weakness was Sam. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for that kid -except take charity. If Gabe thought that he was giving Dean a handout….

"It's not charity, you dope but a real job. I need someone competent that I trust and that combination is hard to find. I spent the last year vetting you and you're the only candidate. NSC needs you and you need a better paying gig. Win-win Dean-O. Are you interested?"

That was how Dean found himself being ushered into Castiel's office the following Monday. Castiel had been looking out the window, his back to Dean when Gabe brought him in. Castiel turned around; insanely blue eyes met widening green ones and time stood still. Neither man said anything. Castiel did a weird head tilt thing, peering into Dean as if he could see straight into his soul. Dean held the stare, unable to look away, almost as if his soul was anchored to that gaze. Dean couldn't say exactly how long they stood like that but he knew if Gabe hadn't cleared his throat and asked if they wanted him to dim the lights and leave the room, they'd probably still be locked in some serious eye sex. Next thing he knew, Dean was hired and working with Gabe to modify equipment to give NSC agents whatever edge they could, in whatever it was they did.

Dean loved his job. He enjoyed what he did, he had a great relationship with his boss and it paid enough to cover Sam's living expenses (Sam was on scholarship) plus allow him to move out of the Singers backroom and into a small but decent 2 bedroom apartment. Two bedrooms meant Sam had a place to stay when he visited. For the first time in a long while, Dean looked forward to holidays. If he had one complaint, it was that apart from that initial HR meeting, Castiel seemed to go out of his way to avoid or ignore Dean. He couldn't pin exactly what he did to earn Cas's dislike but dude obviously couldn't stand to be around him. Dean had asked Gabe once about this but Gabe had laughed him off, responding all cryptic about Castiel's aversion to fun. Maybe Castiel thought Dean was a goof off? He wasn't. He was a hard worker. It didn't matter though; these meetings were the only time he got to see Castiel.

Speaking of the meeting, Dean realised people were leaving the room indicating the meeting was over. With a last look at Castiel as he headed out, Dean consoled himself with the thought that it was probably a good thing he had no real contact with Castiel. He'd never been attracted to a man before, didn't want to be attracted to one now (not when there were so many hot chicks throwing themselves at him) and even if he was interested in Cas, word in the building was that Cas was on the verge of becoming engaged to some chick he had been dating for the past two years. Yup, Dean was glad there was nothing going on there.

As the door closed behind Dean, Castiel glanced up from the papers he had been pretending to be studying. Through the glass panels enclosing the boardroom, he could see Dean chatting with Gabe as they walked back to the workshop. Damn. The young man had been looking at him the whole meeting, the way he usually did. No one else seemed to notice but Castiel found that he was instinctively tuned into the other man. He cursed to himself as he willed his arousal to fade. How could just a look from Dean do things to him that no one else had ever been able to with hands, lips or words? Castiel was in trouble and he wasn't sure what to do about it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dude! Tell me again what we're doing here."

Gabriel, pulled his head out of the refrigerator in response to Dean's question. Closing the door he walked over to the kitchen island where Dean was standing and held out the beer he had selected for him.

"I told ya Dean-Bean…I need you to fix something for me."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah? Well that'd be a whole heckuva lot easier to do if you told me what needs fixing instead of whisking me away to your apartment as if I was some hot piece of ass you wanted to tap."

He took a swig of his beer and then choked as he realized what he said. Barely able to keep beer from squirting out his nose, he set the beer down, took a breath and turned to Gabe. "Ummm…..Gabe…I'm ..er…not some hot piece of ass you want to tap right? I mean I _am_ hot and in possession of a fine ass and all but you didn't bring me here to try anything did you?"

Gabriel leaned forward and waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Dean suddenly felt his stomach lurch, threatening to empty itself all over the granite countertop. The look of sheer panic and complete discomfort on his face caused Gabriel to burst out laughing. Dean shook his head in half anger, half laughter as relief flooded him.

"Damn you had me going, you ass!"

"You and everybody else." Gabe smirked. "I'm that good. But as hot as you are, I'm not here to get laid. I do need your help. But I need to know before I fill you in, we're friends right? I mean we're not just employer-employee. Since we met, we've kinda got a buddy vibe thing going, don't we?"

The bottle making its way to Dean's lips paused mid path as he looked over the rim to the blond man. He rarely ever heard Gabe sound so serious and unsure. The Trickster always sounded annoyingly cocksure, even when he was faking it.

"Yeah man, we're cool. You know this. We don't have to talk about it. This isn't Oprah we're on."

Gabe paced back and forth a little before turning again to Dean and stating in a small voice, "We might as well be, I have a confession to make."

Okaaaay, so now Dean was definitely uncomfortable. He didn't do feelings and talking and this sharing shit. He just didn't know how. As much as he'd like to be there for his friend and his boss, he needed a way to get out of this conversation. He ran through a list of possible escape options but apparently took too long because after a minute Gabe started up again.

"So because we're friends, this is a no judgment zone, okay? I mean no one is going to look at the other any differently just because we've had this talk. I just want you to know that I am your friend. Remember that first and foremost today."

Okay, Dean was feeling more and more awkward with each word out of Gabe's mouth. I mean what the hell man? He thought he was there for some repair to the apartment appliances or something. Where was Gabe headed with this? Why couldn't he just get to the part Dean could handle? The fix-whatever-needed-fixing bit. He took another swig of his beer wishing Gabe would just spit it out.

"Dean, you are gay."

He spit his beer out. All over the kitchen counter. All over Gabe.

"What the outta-your-sugar-riddled-brain are you talking about Gabriel Novak?"

Gabriel was wiping his face down with a kitchen towel. He passed a roll of paper towels across to Dean, indicating with a hand gesture that cleaning the countertop was Dean's job. Dean took it grudgingly.

"I'm not gay Gabriel. I've never been with a guy."

"Not eating ice-cream doesn't make you lactose intolerant"

Dean paused wiping and scratched his head. "Dude I don't know what to tell you. I don't feel that way about men. I'm just not into guys."

Gabriel smirked and looked at Dean. He tilted his head a little to the side, kinda like the Cas head tilt but not quite as far. Then with a genuine smile, a softer one as if something or someone precious had just crossed his mind, he said to Dean, "You may not feel that way about _men_ but you do about one man. You may not be into _guys_ , but there is one guy you'd like to be in."

Dean turned red. How the hell did Gabriel know this? Did everyone know? Did Castiel? Oh crap! Was Gabriel trying to fire him gently? Oh wait! If Gabriel didn't fire him, how could he go back to work, knowing people knew his secret? Well no longer a secret he reckoned. _Sonnuvabitch!_

Gabe watched the emotional play flit across Dean's face. _Yes_ , he thought, _it was time to open that door_. He'd watch the slow tentative dance for far too long and if he wanted his two favourite people to have a chance in this effed up world….well they didn't call him "The Fixer" for nothing. Actually, nobody called him that. What they actually called him was "Trickster". Which reminded him about part two of his plan.

He looked down at his beer soaked shirt and shook his head.

"Dean, I can see that you need to process this. If you think about it, you'll see that I'm just being a friend and telling you the truth. I'll let you think about this while I change my clothes. Can't spend the rest of the day smelling like beer. People would think you got me drunk to take advantage of my virtue."

He snickered as he walked past Dean. "I'm heading to my apartment to get a fresh set of clothes. Be back in a bit".

Dean, stood rooted to his spot, still in shock that Gabe thought he was gay, that he knew of his Cas crush and that he had no sense of boundaries what so ever – to the point where he "came out" sorta on Dean's behalf. I mean who the hell does that? He stood there for a few minutes listing out the choice words he was going to have with Gabe when he got back. Wait a minute…. _got back?_ Gabe said he was going to _his apartment_ for clean clothes. If this wasn't Gabe's apartment, then who in the hell owned this place that Gabe brought him to?

And there it was….that voice with its deep rough sexy tone, coming from behind him.

"Hello Dean."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello Dean"

Dean's heart jumped into his throat. The gravel in that voice felt like fingernails lightly grazing his skin, teasing his body to awareness. He should have expected something like this from Gabriel. Damn if he wasn't replacing the Trickster's jelly bean stash with some of the worst flavours Bertie Bott's had to offer. Fully intending to return the greeting, he turned around slowly to face Castiel, only to have the words stop in his throat resulting in a strangled grasping sound that he could never explain away.

Castiel was standing there, shirtless, wearing nothing but unbuttoned jeans and a just-crawled-out-of-bed look. Dean had always known the man was entirely lean muscle but seeing all that skin… the abs and the way the jeans peeled away from the area just above his…..holy mother of sin! If he was ever able to talk himself out of his attraction to the man before, those days were over. He was turned on as hell and grateful that the kitchen island obscured Cas's view of his lower regions.

"Why are you in my home Dean?"

A reasonable question. And Dean had a reasonable answer.

"To fix something"

Castiel furrowed his browed and tilted his head to the side in the way he did that was guaranteed to melt Dean into a puddle of desire.

"I was unaware that anything in my home required repair. What is it that you are here to mend?

Oh shit. "Umm….yeah….about that…I don't know. I'm not exactly sure what it is that needs fixing…I mean….really, I'm here only because I thought I was going to fix something but…umm" Dean knew he was babbling like grade school kid asking his crush to the school dance for the first time but he couldn't seem to help himself. All the blood that was supposed to be feeding his brain was making itself at home significantly south of where his brain was located.

Castiel continued to stare at Dean as if he couldn't figure him out, which given the circumstances were perfectly understandable to Dean.

"If my understanding is correct, you are in my home to effect repairs but you do not know what those repairs may be." Castiel paused as if trying to frame his next question in a way he thought would procure a decent answer. "How did you gain access to my apartment Dean?"

Dean opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. Cas held up one finger at Dean, signalling that he should hold on as he took the call. Glad for the respite, Dean yet again, for the millionth time since he met Gabriel, swore to kill his friend-slash-boss. An inner voice reminded him however that he was here alone with the object of his desire…the shirtless, barefooted, sexy as hell object of his desire; the man he had been questioning his sexuality over since he met him. The man who'd been avoiding him for just as long; But here he was alone with him and finally in a position to find out if there was anything at all between them. Maybe he should be grateful to Gabe?

Nah! He was going to kill him. That would be smart and most satisfying thing to do.

Castiel looked at Dean from the corner of his eye as he listened to the concierge. He'd been asleep, dreaming of the man currently standing in kitchen; sexy dirty dreams that involved using his favourite blue tie to bind Dean to the bedframe and a Dean that relished his every touch, responding to Cas's ministrations with a passion and a reciprocity that had Cas coming so hard, it shook him out of his sleep and into a semi awakened, completely satisfied, post orgasmic awareness. He was surprised he didn't scream Dean's name out loud. As he plodded to the ensuite to clean himself, he'd heard noises coming from his kitchen and was really glad he didn't scream Dean's name out loud. He grabbed the nearest pair of pants he could find, a comfortable pair of old jeans, slid them over his naked behind and walked out to find Dean, the man himself, standing there as if Castiel had conjured him into reality. Did he mention how glad he was he hadn't screamed Dean's name out loud? And for a man who'd just had the most intense climax he's had for a long time, he was more than a little surprised to find his member hardening up in anticipation of a round two – this time less cerebral, more physical. Dean was here; in his home. The odds of this happening again were minimal. So what to do?

As Castiel hung up the phone, Dean found the mental acuity to utter a single word, "Gabriel". A half smile pulled at the right corner of Cas's mouth as a look of comprehension dawned on his face.

"Yes, that would explain everything." He said, shaking his head slightly as if to get a vision of Gabe out of his mind.

"Everything?" asked Dean.

Cas ran his fingers through his already bed mussed hair as he looked down at his feet, almost as if he were the one embarrassed to be there instead of Dean. Looking up at Dean, fingers still threaded through the back of his head, he explained the call to Dean.

"That was the concierge. Someone disabled the elevator security cameras before planting "goop bombs" in all of them. Said bomb have all exploded rendering the elevators unusable until the cleaning crews are finished with them. Someone also recoded the electronic locks on the doors to the stairwell for my floor, which means they cannot be opened until they have been reset. The concierge was very apologetic for the inconvenience but assures me that they are working to resolve these issues with all haste."

At some point during that speech he had begun walking slowly towards Dean, so by the word "haste", he was standing slow close to Dean, Dean couldn't tell whose breath was whose. The phrase "personal space" was obviously non-existent here.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked

"It means Dean that you and I are effectively locked in and cut off from the outside world for at least the next three to four hours. How do you propose we handle this situation?"

Praying to whatever gods would listen to grant him favor, Dean summoned his courage grabbed the back of Castiel's head, pulling him the short distance forward and meshed their mouths together.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks later Gabriel was still very much alive. He was however very worried about the state of affairs between his two favourite people. After his little stunt at Castiel's apartment, he fully expected to be flayed by either Dean or Castiel or even both. That didn't happen.

Castiel wasn't due in to the office the day he took Dean to the apartment but he expected Dean to come back ready to bite his head off. Dean didn't come back at all and when he turned up the next day, he was smiling, didn't say a word to Gabriel; just put in for his leave and went about his tasks whistling like he was the happiest man alive. Gabe felt like _he_ was on top of the world. Maybe things went a lot better than anticipated. Castiel didn't turn up the next day but that was not unusual. He often met with clients outside the office or worked from home. The nature of his duties allowed for this. Gabe called and left him a couple messages but his calls were not returned. At first he shrugged it off. Cassie sometimes got his panties in a bunch over the most harmless of pranks so Gabe figured that he was being punished with a cone of silence.

After a few days however, he couldn't help but notice that Dean was smiling less and less. Dean came in, put in a good days work but every day his good mood and sense of humour seemed to shrink a little. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Dean came away from the afternoon encounter expecting more than he was getting, but what the hell happened between them and how the hell could he find out? Damn, maybe he should have hidden video cameras in the apartment after all. Oh well at least today he'd get some answers one way or another. Castiel had missed the last Monday meeting – a fact that saw Dean go from hopeful-looking to hopeless-looking, but Gabe knew for certain that Cas was providing the debrief on the new client negotiations to the team this morning. He couldn't wait to see their reaction when Dean and Castiel met again, face to face, for what presumably was the first time since that afternoon. This was going to be epic.

This was going to be a nightmare. Dean knew Castiel would be attending the Monday morning meeting. Cas was in the building; Dean knew this because he scoped out the parking lot looking for Cas's car just like he'd done every day for the past two weeks. Pathetic. Could he be anymore pathetic? Cas was obviously sending him a message. One that he got loud and clear. Yet still there was a little part of him that shouted what he shared with Cas that was undeniably the most significant connection he had ever had with anyone. Ever.

When he launched into that first kiss, it was madness on his part and he fully expected Castiel to push him away. Which Cas did. Only instead of kicking his ass for being presumptuous, Cas didn't move away but held Deans face in both his palms, pinning him with that electric blue stare for a minute of two before smiling and saying,

"An unexpected complication – I did not plan for this detour Dean, in fact I studiously tried to avoid it. Yet here we are and I find that right now, there is no other place I would rather be."

Then slowly, without breaking eye contact, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Dean's, in what had to be the sweetest, most honest expression of feeling Dean had ever tasted. Dean had never kept his eyes open during kissing before, but neither man could find in him to break that connection. When Cas ended the kiss, pulled away and rested his forehead against Dean's, Dean thought his heart would break if Castiel turned him away then.

"Let me love you," he asked Cas. "I have never been with a man before but I feel like….I want…..damn it!"

Dean struggled to find the words. He wasn't good with words. He was more of an "action" type personality. Weren't actions supposed to speak louder than words?

"It's just…. you Cas….just you. Let me show you what I am so screwing up with words"

Castiel eyes had widened at the word "love". As if he was unsure if Dean was talking in the physical sense or the emotional. To be honest, Dean wasn't sure which he mean as well, but physical was definitely taking priority right there and then. Cas took his hand and without a word led him to the bedroom.

What happened in there exhilarated, sated and confused the hell out of Dean. After years of nailing every woman willing and available and enjoying every second of it, this quiet unassuming older man taught Dean more about his body and the pleasure to be derived from it than he ever thought was possible. It was as if Cas had known him in a previous life, knew where to touch him, how to touch him and how to please him - as if there was a single manual on pleasuring Dean Winchester and Cas had locked it up tight after memorizing it. Not in a million years would Dean have thought he'd be the bottom in that union but with Cas teaching him, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. In round two when Cas returned the favour, Dean couldn't believe the whole range of feelings it opened up in him. Being possessed, possessing, giving, taking, loving – being intimate with Castiel was a life changing experience.

They came together three times that afternoon, at times with sweet intensity and at other with desperate passion. Looking back Dean can see where it seemed Castiel was trying fit as many memories as possible into that one afternoon. Bastard probably he knew he was ditching Dean's ass from the minute he kissed him. But Dean didn't know that. He ate up every touch, every kiss, and every thrust as if he was making up for lost time. In between the bouts of passion, they snacked on whatever Cas had in his refrigerator and shared stories from their childhood and why Dean kept calling Castiel "Cas". Castiel had smiled at the nickname. The only other person to give him a nickname was Gabriel and Castiel really did not care for the very feminine "Cassie". No one had said anything about continuing the affair but no one had said anything about ending either. When Dean was at the door about to leave, Castiel did ask him not to share what happened between them with anyone at the office. But then he kissed Dean so tenderly that Dean thought maybe it was a "fraternizing with an employee" thing. Now he just felt like he was a "dirty little secret" thing.

There they were at the meeting, with everything just as it always was – Dean sitting slightly behind Gabriel while Castiel pretended he didn't exist. When the meeting was finished, as people filed out of the room, Dean reached out and caught Castiel's elbow trying to get his attention.

"Cas," he began when he felt the man freeze up beneath his touch.

"Was there something you wanted Mr. Winchester? I'm on my way out to a client."

Dean felt like he'd been slapped. Nobody at the NSC called him "Mr. Winchester".

"Mr. Winchester? Really Cas?"

"My name is Castiel Novak, Mr. Winchester. You may address me as Mr. Novak or as Castiel. I ask again, was there something you wanted?"

Dean looked like he'd been punched in the gut. Swallowing hard, he shook his head sadly and replied,

"Sorry. No there aint. I thought there might be but I guessed I was confused."

Without looking at Dean, Castiel responded, "No worries Winchester. That happens sometimes"

Dean took a long hard look at Castiel before shuffling out of the room. Castiel watched him walk away through the glass boardroom walls and when he was out of sight, sat back down, and elbows on the table, scrubbed both hands over his face.

Neither Castiel nor Dean had noticed Gabriel sitting quietly in the corner of the room watching the exchange, so Castiel was visibly startled when Gabe demanded, "What the fuck was that?"


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel looked across the boardroom to the corner where Gabriel sat and floundered for words to express what he was going through. Gabriel looked angry; which was very out of character for him. Gabriel was the brother who took everything in stride. His other brothers? Well Castiel had felt their anger all too often growing up but never Gabriel. When Castiel discovered he was more attracted to men than women, preferred the male body over the female, Michael and Luke had rained holy righteousness down him, calling him names, beating him down, trying to force his "unnatural urges" from him. Gabriel had simply loved him. In his college years, when he cut it a little too close sometimes and was on the brink of having Michael and Luke discover his "sexual explorations and experimentations", it was Gabriel who covered for him, taking the blame and the pressure off of him. Yet, here was Gabriel, looking angry and if Castiel had felt like an absolute jerk before, for hurting Dean, the guilt and shame multiplied a hundredfold.

"Gabriel," he began, "You cannot begin to understand why there needs to be distance between Dean and myself."

"Distance?" Gabe sneered. "That wasn't distance, Cassie. That was destruction. If you'd looked at him just once, you would have seen how you destroyed him. What the hell happened between you that day for you to treat him like that? From the way he responded, he couldn't possibly have deserved it."

No he didn't, thought Cas. Cas got up, walked over to where Gabe was sitting, dragged a chair directly in front of him and sat down leaning forward, forearms on his thighs. Looking Gabriel straight in the eye, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Gabriel, my brother….do you remember when I saw the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and I loved it so much, you went out and got me the soundtrack?"

Gabe nodded, "You were crazy for it. Within a week you knew all the words, could sing all the songs off by heart. I think that's when I knew for sure you were gay". Gabe smiled at the memory.

Castiel grimaced. "I'm not gay. You know I don't like labels".

"Besides the point Cassie…What does that have to do with Dean?"

Castiel swallowed hard and continued, "The one song that got me the most was the Mary Magdalene torch song "I Don't Know How To Love Him". The passion with which it was sung and the poignant lyrics always hooked me right in the heart. I've been listening to it every day for the past two weeks. You need to listen to it. Maybe it says what I can't express to you."

Castiel pulled out his phone, tapped the touchscreen a few times and Gabriel could hear the opening strains of the song….

"Really Cassie, we're going to listen to a song now?" Gabe rolled his eyes.

"Shut up you ass and listen to the lyrics"

_I don't know how to love him_   
_What to do, how to move him_   
_I've been changed, yes really changed_   
_In these past few days_

_When I've seen myself_   
_I seem like someone else_   
_I don't know how to take this_   
_I don't see why he moves me_

_He's a man_   
_He's just a man_   
_And I've had so many_   
_Men before_

_In very many ways_   
_He's just one more_   
_Should I bring him down_   
_Should I scream and shout_   
_Should I speak of love_

_Let my feelings out?_   
_I never thought I'd come to this_   
_What's it all about?_   
_Don't you think it's rather funny_

_I should be in this position?_   
_I'm the one_   
_Who's always been_   
_So calm so cool_

_No lover's fool_   
_Running every show_   
_He scares me so_   
_I never thought I'd come to this_

_What's it all about?_   
_Yet_   
_If he said he loved me_   
_I'd be lost_

_I'd be frightened_   
_I couldn't cope_   
_Just couldn't cope_   
_I'd turn my head_

_I'd back away_   
_I wouldn't want to know_   
_He scares me so_   
_I want him so_   
_I love him so_

The song ended and Castiel put his phone back into his pocket. He looked at Gabriel, eyes glassy looking with unshed tears and reached across to squeeze his brother's forearm.

"I… am… afraid. Put simply, this experience with Dean is not something I understand, not something I can control and not something my life experience has prepared me for. From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he had the ability to explode my carefully constructed life into so many painful shards that I'd never be able to rebuild it"

Gabriel leaned towards Castiel as if to say something but was forestalled by Cas holding his hand up.

"Let me finish. I highly suspect that I am incredibly if not completely in love with Dean Winchester and dammit Gabriel, _he scares me so_. Like the song says _"I don't know how to love him, What to do, how to move him"_. If he doesn't feel the same about me, if this is just a fling to him, do you have any idea what that would do to me? And it'd be even worse if he did care for me. _If he said he loved me I'd be lost,I'd be frightened. I couldn't cope; Just couldn't cope. I'd turn my head, I'd back away, I wouldn't want to know. He scares me so. I want him so. I love him so"_

Castiel ended his little speech with his head in his hands. Gabriel put his arm around his brother, rubbing his back in a comforting way as he gave Castiel a few moments to collect himself. Then he held both of Castiel's arms, pushing back gently until Castiel looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes. Very wet blue eyes but even more beautiful filled with emotion as they were. Softly, gently he said to Castiel,

"That is the most fucking stupid thing I've heard in a long while".

Castiel gasped, got up abruptly and walked back to where his files were on the boardroom table. Gabriel followed not willing to let him off the hook.

"You're talking love Cassie. _Love_! You have never talked love before. And what…you're going to throw it all away because you can't find your balls? _Love_ Castiel! Want me to spell it for you? I can only speculate on what went down (or who went down)" Gabe wiggled his eyebrows here, " that afternoon you and Dean spent together. But based on his behavior the next few days and the degree of absurdity with which you're behaving now, I'm guessing it was out of this world spectacular."

Gabriel sighed and stepped back. He walked to the door but turned back to face Castiel as he reached for the door handle.

"You could have that for the rest of your life. If you look at him, you'll know how he feels about you. Don't throw away this gift bro. I would kill to have what you're destroying. You deserve to be happy. Dean deserves to be happy. You make each other happy. Now go get your balls out of Michael's pocket and go get your man."

"He won't want me after the way I've treated him Gabriel. I think I made sure of that".

Gabriel smirked, took a Pez dispenser out of his pocket and popped a couple in his mouth.

"Oh he wants you Cassie. Make no mistake about that. Go see the kid. Kiss. Make up. Bring me back some pictures". And then Castiel was alone in the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Is it possible to be happy and completely miserable at the exact same moment? That was Dean's dilemma. After having his heart ripped to shreds by Castiel earlier that day, he came home to find Sam on his doorstep, duffle bag in hand. Dean had never been happier to see his brother. It was as if some cosmic superpower knew that he needed a sense of human connection after what he's been through and there was Sammy….proof that his world revolved around someone other than Castiel, that his love had value even if Cas didn't think so.

Dean pulled Sam into the biggest tightest hug he could give, and if he held on a little longer than was necessary or usual, well Sam knew his brother well enough to not comment on it then and there.

Sam got the grand tour of the apartment (which consisted of spinning in a circle on the same spot whilst Dean named the main areas). The front door opened into a common area that served as living, dining and kitchen rooms. Open concept is what Dean called it. On the far end of the room was a corridor that had doors leading to bedrooms on both sides and the corridor itself ended with the door leading to the bathroom. Sam was so proud of his brother. With their father going off the deep end after their mother was killed in a house fire, the boys had spent their childhood moving from motel room to motel room. When their dad died, they ended up sharing a makeshift bedroom in a backroom at Bobby Singer's house, who was a good friend of their dad's.

With his bag stowed in "his room", Sam sat in the living room, sipping beer from its bottle, looking at Dean who sat next to him on the sofa. Without taking his eyes off the flickering TV, Dean said, "Take a picture Sammy. It'll last longer"

Sam bristled at his childhood name. "It's Sam. I'm too old and too tall for "Sammy" jerk. And I can't help it. We have our own rooms Dean."

Dean turned to him beaming, "I know right! We haven't our own rooms since….ever. Now I can finally tell my little brother ' _STAY THE HELL OUTTA MY ROOM!'_ speaking of which…stay the hell outta my room Sammy!"

Sam snorted at that. "You did good Dean. Real good. I always knew you would. I only hope that I can make you at least half as proud of me as I am of you".

Dean took a swig of his beer, and swallowed hard. He knew the kid loved him and everything he did was out of love for his brother but he didn't do chick flick moments.

"Yeah, well let's not grow a vagina here. Drink up and shut up." He was smiling when he said this so Sam knew he understood.

After a few moments of silence, Sam very aware of the undercurrents of emotion swirling around his brother, casually asked, "What's her name?"

Dean stilled. Shit. He knew Sam would pick up on his mood eventually but he thought he still had some time. Damn, his giant of a brother was really too smart for him. Dean figured he could play this two ways...ignore Sam, hoping he'll get the message and leave it the hell alone or pretend that Sam was confused and try to throw him off the scent of the topic. Knowing Sam was like a bulldog with a bone once he thought he was on to something, Dean chose option number two.

"Whose name?"

"C'mon Dean. I know you better than anyone else. You're brooding over someone. Who is she? What's she like? And how come the famous Winchester charm doesn't have her swooning on your doorstep. We're family, man. Maybe sharing will help"

Dean smirked at Sam, "Oh really? We gonna sing Kumbaya and hold hands while share? What the hell bitch? You taking a course on becoming a woman at Stanford?"

Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother before turning back to the TV. This wasn't over. Sam knew how to wait him out. In fact he waited until the next commercial break before he started again. He got up, got another beer for Dean and himself and settled on the couch again.

"So….you really care about this chick huh? Were you guys serious? Dating long?"

Dean groaned. He should have known better than to think Sam would just drop it. The kid just didn't know how. The strange thing was a part of him wanted to talk about it. Maybe someone else might be able to make sense of it all. He sure as hell was coming up empty when it came to understanding what happened. The only other person he'd consider bringing it up with was Gabriel and Gabe was off limits because he was Cas's brother. So maybe he should turn to his own brother instead. Maybe that's why the universe had Sam turning up that day of all day.

"We weren't dating long. We weren't dating at all. But it felt serious. As for caring….yeah, I care. I think I love him".

If Sam's heart stopped beating, or his mind exploded or he choked on his beer at that last gender identifying word, Dean never saw the slightest sign of it. All he saw was love, acceptance and compassion as Sam leaned closer towards him, patted his leg and said, "Tell me about him. He must be something special".

Then the levee broke and it all came pouring out. From the very first non-meeting that day at Singer's garage to the harsh words of non-acknowledgement earlier that day to every look and feeling in-between. Dean found that once he started confiding in his brother, he just couldn't hold back. He finished his story feeling drained, tired but at the same time relieved.

Sam listened without interruption to everything Dean said, understanding instinctively everything his brother was feeling. It was amazing to him that Dean could open himself up to the possibility of Love this way after a lifetime of being closed off, his only focus being putting Sam through school so he could have the good life Dean denied himself. He didn't like the way this Castiel guy had hurt Dean, but that he could bring Dean to the point where it was possible to hurt Dean was incredible to Sam. He needed to find out more. He needed to do what he could to make this relationship work for Dean. He owed Dean this much. He didn't have any ideas on how to do that just then and there, but he was going to be around for a couple weeks so maybe there was a chance to make a difference. In the meantime however, job number one was to help Dean keep that door to possibility open.

"Dean, I don't know this guy but maybe you scared him stupid? I mean his behaviour is downright stupid. I know you man, and you can come down like a ton of bricks when you're gung ho about something. Do you think it's possible that it was all too much too soon for him?"

"Too soon Sam? We'd been tiptoeing around each other for more than a year!"

"I know Dean, but you guys didn't do things the normal way. You didn't go out for coffee or chat around the office. You didn't date, you didn't build your relationship the way normal people do. Keep an open mind here. Maybe, if it was as intense for him as it was for you, he freaked out at falling for a guy from the office without being friends outside the office."

Dean thought about that for a bit and had to admit there may be some truth in Sam's words.

"Dean," Sam continued, "besides if your only friend these days is this guy's brother, what if he's concerned that he might be coming between his brother and you?"

And that's where Sam's word took a turn for the weird!

"Me and Gabe?" Dean spluttered, "Never! Not in a million years. Not if we were the last two humans on earth and I had no arms!"

Sam had to laugh at that. "Well who knows what your Cas is thinking?"

With that he got up and walked over to where his coat was hanging. "I'm going to explore the neighbourhood a bit. Having seen the inside of your fridge, I'm going to see if I can find an organic food market to pick up some dinner stuff. I'd like to live through the next two weeks without damaging my internal organs"

"Hey, that's what you get when I get no heads up! Next time, give me some notice and I'll shop".

After Sam left, Dean tidied up a bit. He could tell that Sam was impressed with his humble but well cared for apartment and it pleased him. Dean had never had much in his life that he could call his own but he always took care of what was his.

He heard a knocking on the door and laughed to himself as he walked over to open it. Why didn't Sam just use the key he gave him? He opened the door starting to ask exactly that. But it wasn't Sam. Standing in front of him was Castiel holding a big ass bouquet of flowers, head tilted, looking at him with those stunning blue puppy dog eyes.

"Forgive me. Please. If you let me in, I owe you an explanation"

Dean looked down at the bouquet and then back up to those eyes. "Flowers? Really? What am I, a chick?"

Castiel pulled his other hand which was behind his back, out front to reveal a six pack of Dean's favourite beer. How did he know what Dean's favourite was?

"That's better." Dean said, stepped aside to allow Cas entry and then closed the door behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

Gabriel put his binoculars down. He'd been watching the window to Dean's apartment for the past 20 minutes, wondering why the heck he never thought to bug the place when he helped Dean move in. If he gave in to the impulse to plant transmitters wherever he felt like it, his life would be a whole lot less stressful. If he had, he'd know what went down at Cassie's apartment a couple weeks back and he'd certainly know what was happening upstairs in Dean's apartment then. And hey, if they were doing the "dirty-dirty"…well he needed to update his porn stash anyway. Gabe snickered to himself.

He was really proud of Cassie for making it here. After he left the boardroom, he used all of his available resources to keep track of his brother. Castiel had sat in the boardroom for a bit before walking over to his office. Once there, his brother paced around, picking up the phone several times, as if to call someone, before placing the handset back on the cradle without making the call. That disappointed Gabriel. Then a couple times, Castiel walked by the workshop where Dean was working but he never entered and as far as Gabe could see off the security tapes, Dean had no clue that Castiel was just on the other side of the wall, his back being turned to the glass partition area whenever Castiel happened to be passing by . Gabriel knew that Castiel had his secretary cancel his client meetings for the day the minute after she'd made the calls and he also knew that Castiel ordered in a Greek salad for lunch that he stabbed at a few times without eating before tossing the whole thing in the organic materials recycle bin. Pffft! Salad? Gabe would have tossed that too.

By the time Dean left for the day, Gabriel had almost given up all hope of Cassie manning up and going after the guy. In fact the minute Dean left, he'd stormed off to Castiel's office to chew him out over his inactivity, only when he got there, he saw Castiel standing at the window, watching the parking lot – the parking lot that Dean would probably have been walking across to get to where his beloved Impala was parked. From the side profile he could see Castiel steel himself and the he turned around and began to walk quickly out of the office. As he passed Gabriel at the door, he just mumbled "Sorry Gabriel, I have to go. There is something I need to do".

Gabriel wanted to jump with joy. Finally! Yes! Yes! Yes! Well he wasn't going to miss out on the next chapter in this epic romance so Gabriel did the only thing any sane person would do. He raced to the garage where management parked, jumped in his car and started tailing his brother. Well, maybe it doesn't sound sane but come on, what choice did he have really? Enquiring minds want to know and all that crap. So, in all fairness he had no choice but to chase Castiel around town.

Actually he literally had no choice but to chase Castiel around town. Gabriel had thought that Cassie would have been heading over to Dean's apartment and initially it seemed that he was. Two streets away however Cassie must have lost his nerve and then changed routes. He drove around for a bit and there were several times he seemed to head back in Dean's direction only to change routes yet again. Then Castiel obviously began to head back to his apartment. Gabriel was livid. All that work for nothing? Gabriel had gone at least 30 minutes without a sugary treat for nothing? Well he wasn't going to let that pass quietly. He followed Castiel to his apartment building fully intending to have at it with his brother but then Cassie surprised him yet again. Instead of pulling into the parking garage, Castiel just drove around the building and headed back on the road in the direction of Dean's place. Castiel made one stop at a convenience Mart around the block from Dean's apartment and then was parking outside the building.

Gabriel crossed his fingers as he watched Castiel go into the building. He reached into the glove compartment for the mini-binoculars he knew would be there – hey, NSC did a lot of surveillance gigs so binoculars and cameras were always nearby – and when he straightened back up he couldn't help but notice the incredibly tall and freakishly good looking young man exiting the building. He used the binoculars to get a better look at that most delicious looking eye candy when the hottie in question turned his head and looked right at him. The intensity of that "Zoolander-Blue-Steel-worthy" gaze startled him so much he dropped the binoculars and it fell next to the gas pedal. By the time he slid his seat back, retrieved the binoculars and readjusted his seat, the handsome giant was gone. Gabriel felt oddly disappointed. Shrugging, he settled in to spy on his brother and his best friend.

Spying on his brother and his best friend was incredibly boring. What the hell was happening in the apartment? How the hell was he able to withstand the suspense? He didn't care if it sounded childish but he wanted to know and he wanted to know _NOW_. He kept hoping the sexy Sasquatch would come back just to break up the monotony and give him something else to obsess over but so far not sign of him. Gabriel was about to question his sanity when it him – sugar! He simply needed more sugar to tide him over. He started checking his pockets looking for any candy that might have escaped his previous sweet hunts and so engrossed in that task, he was frightened out of his wits by the unexpected and loud rapping of knuckles against his car window.

Rolling the window down, he could see the tall handsome guy from earlier, peering into his car angrily.

"Who the hell are you and why have you been staking out my brother's apartment for almost half an hour now", Hottie McHottie demanded.

Wait. Brother? This was Dean's younger brother from Stanford? Wow! They looked nothing alike. _Thank the lord!_

"Sam?" He asked, "You're Dean's brother Sam? I'm Gabriel – Dean's colleague and friend"

Sam eyed the older gentleman skeptically. "Gabriel Novak?"

Gabriel felt a rush of what could be termed as happiness, spread through him.

"Yup. That's me. How about I buy you a cup of coffee?"


	8. Chapter 8

Castiel watched as Dean read the text message off his phone. Dean was sitting up in his bed, back against the headboard wearing nothing but a smirk. Castiel himself was laying the other way around in the same bed with his feet resting on a pillow next to Dean's torso. He'd propped himself up one arm and was gazing at the marvel that was Dean Winchester.

Dean tossed the phone on the nightstand and crawled down the bed to place light kiss on his lover's lips before sliding off the bed and into his boxers.

"That was Sam. Apparently he met someone and is having drinks and dinner out this evening so it's just us dude. I'm going to go find the menu for the Chinese joint around the corner and order us up some delivery. You okay with that?"

"Yes. That would be…good" Castiel smiled and he lay back down on the bed as Dean headed off to the kitchen.

"I'm happy," he thought and wondered how it could be so easy after all these years of believing that he couldn't really find happiness, that it just wasn't in the works for him. And it had been easy. When he turned up on Dean's doorstep, he fully expected to be turned away, to be scorned for his actions earlier that day. After all, he was unnecessarily harsh and had been a complete assbutt. But Dean did not turn him away. Instead he let him in and Castiel knew now that Dean probably would have let him in even if he didn't come bearing gifts.

Once inside the door, Dean took the beer to the fridge and filled the sink with water before putting the flowers in there. " _Note to self: Buy Dean a vase"_ he thought. He'd used that time to collect his thoughts, to try to frame his account of his rejection to Dean. He'd come up empty. He looked across the room to see Dean studying him and it prompted him to launch into his weak, very weak, explanation.

"Dean…I'm so sorry for the way I behaved. I…umm…was wrong… in what I was thinking….in what I did. I'm not sure how to…ummm"

Deam stopped him there and asked simply, "Are you over it?"

"Yes."

"We okay now?"

"Yes"

"You gonna treat me like that again?"

"Dean, no. I promise. I couldn't bear to hurt you like that again"

Dean sighed, a heavy sound. "Good, cuz if you did I'd have to kick your ass and I can think of a dozen other things I'd prefer to do to it instead"

That made Castiel smile. "Only a dozen? Perhaps I can help you raise that number significantly?"

Something flared in Deans eyes and it triggered a wave of arousal washing over Cas. Dean sensed it instinctively and immediately.

"Down the corridor" he instructed. "My bedroom is the door on the left. But we have to hurry. My brother Sam is here visiting and is out getting food shopping. He should be back in about half an hour or so."

Castiel was on his way to the room before Dean had even finished the sentence. And then there was nothing but loving. And it was love.

When the food came later, they both snuggled in bed eating directly out of the take out containers. It was a little messy but Castiel had to admit licking the sauce from the sides of Dean's mouth was a lot of fun. Again he was amazed, at how happy he felt.

"Dean," he began, "Thank you….for accepting me and for understanding me….without the words. I'm not sure I could find the words but you seemed to know…."

"Dude, enough. Don't torture yourself and don't torture me here. I get it, I think. I just don't want a replay, okay? That's not how we treat our favorite people. I'm assuming I _am_ at the top of your favorite people list?"

Castiel reached across Dean for his beer which was on the nightstand, pausing to plant a sweet saucy kiss on Dean's mouth on the way back.

"You're in my top three favourite people; which is something, since I only have _three_ favorite people"

Dean scrunched his eyebrows as he tried to figure out the others.

"I guess Gabriel may be on your list," he surmised, "but with him, I bet that status is in danger on a daily basis"

"Actually minute to minute. He is always on the endangered species list when it comes to likeability", Cas joked.

"Who is the other person?" Dean asked. "Is it that chick that I've heard you've seeing for the past couple years?"

Castiel put down his food and looked at Dean. The question was asked lightly enough but he could read the wealth of emotion and insecurity behind it.

"Her name is Meg…and no….it's not her. Meg and I have had a complicated relationship over the years. For a while we were good friends. We were good for and to each other. But Meg has some …umm…well let's just say, she's gotten involved in a life that I don't think she should have and we've not been real friends for some time. We keep the façade of our friendship but what once could have been, ceased to be a possibility a long time ago."

"Then why do people at work think you guys will eventually get hitched?" Dean had to know.

"Perhaps because it once seemed that way and we haven't done anything to indicate otherwise."

Castiel thought about what he was trying to express before continuing. "Gabriel tells me I'm gay"

Dean almost choked at that one.

"What is it with this guy?" he exclaimed. "He told me the same thing moments before he stranded me at your apartment."

Castiel laughed softly at the memory of that day. He was going to have to get Gabriel a spectacular birthday present this year.

"My brother may be attempting to effect change in the world. Gay rights and all." He smiled. "The thing is I've never thought of myself as gay. I do prefer men over women but that hasn't stopped my appreciation for the female form. I'm not sure what the difference between bisexual and pansexual is but I do know I don't like labels. I just like loving and lusting and being able to find pleasure wherever and with whomever. Do you consider yourself a homosexual Dean?"

"Right now I think I'm 'Cas-sexual'. Like I told you that day, it's just you. Since I met you, you're all I've been wanting."

That deserved a kiss so Castiel leaned over gave him one – a sweet slow kiss full of emotion and promise. Dean wasn't easily distracted though (even though he did come perilously close to ending the conversation there).

"So how does Meg fit into this?"

"Meg has been my ally and my cover. My family did not approve of my period of sexual discovery. In fact they tried everything they could to keep me on what they called the "straight and narrow" which translated into they want me "straight" and "narrow-minded". Michael and Luke tried beating it out of me, sending me to religious camps, threatening me – the threats worked eventually. This brings us to my other favourite person….my cousin Anna Milton. When her parents died, custody was awarded to my eldest brothers as they were her adult relatives and her parents had named my father as her guardian. She is as innocent as she is beautiful. She is all love and sweetness. She's never quite recovered from losing her parents and some people would consider her _simple_ but I just consider her lovely. She is the sister I've always wanted. I'm not sure how Luke managed it, but he wrested sole custody of her. She has a sizeable inheritance and I'm sure having control of that motivated him."

"Anna was only 15 when Luke's buddy, Uriel, began to express an unhealthy interest in her. Luke was of the opinion that if Uriel intended to marry her, which Uriel did, then all manner of activities were permissible – after all in the bible girls married much younger than 15. I was floored. I spent all my time deflecting and protecting Anna from Uriel. When Gabriel found out, he was able to locate a private facility in Europe that would take care of her and her special needs. With Luke as her guardian however we needed his permission to move her. We couldn't let him know where she would be though, so it was quite the dilemma. What eventually happened was I traded a part of my freedom for a part of her custodianship. We have an annually renewable agreement where Luke keeps financial control of her inheritance except for a monthly allowance he provides for her care out of it and I play the part of upstanding citizen, attending church, upholding the family name and engaging in a serious heterosexual relationship. It's all about appearances and as long as I keep them up, every year, Luke signs over physical custody of Anna to me."

Dean had long stopped eating during Cas's story. He'd lost his appetite and was pretty close to be nauseous over what Luke Novak was putting Castiel through.

"Cas! That's ridiculous! You can't spend the rest of your life like this. It's blackmail."

Castiel shrugged sadly. "Yes it is I guess, but up until now it's just been a mutually beneficial agreement. We both got something we wanted and until I met you, there wasn't anyone serious enough for this arrangement to concern me."

Dean's heart skipped a little at the part where Cas said he was serious enough to matter. He knew it on a subconscious level of course, or he'd never have let Cas into his apartment and back into his life. Still, it was nice to hear it said out loud.

"So what happens now Cas? I guess I can be your secret if it's the only way we can be together but I can't promise not to wake up five years from now resenting the hell out of you for agreeing to live this way."

Castiel reached across the bed, grasped his hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Dean, I know it's a lot to ask of you but it won't be for the rest of our lives. In fourteen months, Anna will be 25 years old and her need for a guardian will be legally terminated. Her doctors have deemed her competent and she has built an uncomplicated but satisfying life in the town where her facility is. She has held a clerical job there for the past three years and has been earning her own money. She's moved out of the facility and into a nearby apartment where support personnel visit her twice a week. She pays her bills and taxes and has a small intimate circle of friends. In fourteen months she and I will be free of Luke forever. I already love you but if you hang in there with me, I will be free to proclaim that love to anyone who will listen."

Suddenly Dean's mouth was on Cas's and neither of them talked for a long while after that.


	9. Chapter 9

The two weeks of Sam's visit passed fairly quickly and they fell into a routine for the most part. During the day while Dean was at work, Sam kicked around town, hanging out with his new "friend". Then in the evening, Sam spent time with his brother. They'd have dinner together every night, grab a movie or hang out at The Roadhouse pub playing pool or watching sports. Castiel would often join them at the pub and Sam had yet to figure out how it was possible that a man as staid as Castiel could drink both Dean and himself under the table with no visible effects. Afterwards, Cas and Dean would drop him back at the apartment before continuing their night and Dean was always back home when Sam woke up in the morning.

He really liked Castiel. He liked him for Dean. He'd never have thought his brother would be open minded enough to be a relationship with a man but it was obvious that Dean was the happiest he'd ever been in life. Castiel made him that happy. I guess when you found "the One, you've found "the One" regardless of shape, form or gender. Their love and joy together elated Sam but yet Sam couldn't help be a little resentful and a little jealous. Not jealous in that he wished _he_ had this instead of his brother but he just wished that he still had his "the One". Looking at Dean with Cas, seeing their connection, the long stares, secret smirks and smiles, the way they seem to communicate without needing words…well he remembered when that was him. He remembered Jessica.

From their very first meeting, he and Jess just knew they were meant to be together. When they moved in together after two months of dating – if you can call spending every moment outside of class together "dating" – their friends said they were crazy, that they were rushing things. Separately and together, their friends advised them to slow down, to take things easy. But that was impossible. When you know it's real and it's right, why waste time just to please other people not in the relationship? They didn't. Living with Jess, Sam felt for the first time in his life, that he had a home, that he belonged somewhere. He didn't mind the mundane things like laundry or doing the dishes. They were building a life together and it was beautiful. Was. A year and half of love was all they had before a building fire took his world away from him.

Sam remembered coming back from his part time job at the bookstore to see the building engulfed in flames, the fire trucks surrounding it as the firemen tried to contain it. They couldn't stop it. It was so bad all they could do was contain it until it burned itself out. He remembered the sound of the screaming sirens, the scent of the smoke choking him as he ran around trying to get to anyone who may have seen Jessica, someone who could tell him she was safe. He remembered the pain in his throat from screaming her name over and over again, trying to find her. He didn't find her that night but he held on to hope that she was somewhere else, just unable to get word to him. He held on to hope until late the next day when he was called down to the morgue to identify the charred remains on the table as the woman he loved. The corpse had looked nothing like her. It was only the engagement ring he had given her just two days prior on its finger, burnt out and dirty, that signalled the woman he loved was no more. She was buried with the ring.

Dean had been there for him, using his savings to fly down and stay with his brother until Sam got past his rage. The grief never went away and the pain only lessened but the deep seated anger he felt eventually faded and Sam had vowed to honor her by becoming the man she had thought him to be. He vowed to live the life they'd planned to build together. He resumed his studies with a vengeance and methodically climbed to the top of his class list in every subject. At night when he fell into bed exhausted, he'd close his eyes and feel her presence next to him and he promised her silently that he'd love her forever and endlessly. And for the past two years that had never wavered. There was no one else but Jess. No one he could ever consider being with after Jess. No one. Until Gabriel.

This thing with Gabriel had him totally messed up inside his head and possibly his heart. When he had coffee with him that first day, he was surprised to find how easy it was to talk with him. Listening to Gabe tell the Cas/Dean story from his perspective was heartbreakingly sweet. Coffee turned into dinner and dinner turned into daily meetings while Dean was at work. They visited the museum, the library, the park and every freaking pastry and candy shop in the city. There were a lot of them. Now Sam would be the first to admit that Gabe's trickster ways could be a little hard for some people to tolerate but for some reason, all the pranks and jokes just endeared the goofball to him even more.

It was on the fifth day as they were standing in front of a painting in the art gallery, not looking at each other but at the painting that Gabriel dropped the bombshell. They had been looking at the artwork in silence when Gabe very casually and very quietly asked Sam.

"You do realize that we've been dating these past few days, right?"

Sam hadn't. Looking back, he could see it. The places they went to together, the things they did together; the conversations they had learning about each other….all very valid date-worthy activities. There were no physical clues; no subtle touches hinting at more but they were very comfortable with each other, being close to each other, sharing each other's desserts and drinks. Sam didn't know how to respond. He didn't know what to say so he said nothing.

Gabriel didn't press Sam for an answer but having clarified what they were doing, began to turn it up a very gentle notch. He'd wrap his arm around Sam whenever the opportunity for a casual hug came up. His flirty texts were beginning to read as more than just kidding around. And whereas he still waggled his eyebrows and leered at Sam suggestively, Sam noticed the softer more intimate looks Gabriel shared and they made his heart tremble. Now when they parted at the end of their outings together, Sam was looking back at Gabe drive away until he could see him no more. Gabriel was reaching into his soul. Sam realized that he was happy being with Gabriel and then he realized he felt as guilty as hell for it. Jess didn't get to have a "happily ever after". What kind of jerk did it make him that he could be happy without her? He couldn't do this to her memory. He could relegate the memory of what they had, the memory of true love, to a back burner in his head! Which is why when Gabe pulled up outside Dean's apartment building, and after a couple seconds of looking at each other, unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to press a soft chaste kiss on his lips, reality came crashing back on him hard, and he pushed at the shorter man shouting.

"What the fuck Gabriel?"

He could see the shock and confusion wash over Gabriel's face. He could see the hurt.

"I'm sorry Sam. I'm not sure what…..umm….I thought we were headed somewhere and I mean….we've been taking things slow…..real slow…which is like a totally new experience for me…..but you're leaving tomorrow and I thought…well I thought.."

"Well you thought wrong!" Sam's guilt for, and shame at, not keeping true to Jess made his words sound angry.

Gabriel swallowed hard as he stared at the road in front of him. He nodded and still not looking at Sam, he said "Maybe this is where you leave the car". His words sounded like a question but he was trying his best to not let Sam see how much the rejection affected him.

Which was pointless because Sam heard the hurt as loud as clanging church bells. Sam wanted to say something but his internal conflict had seized his vocal chords and twisted them in so many knots that they were useless. He turned to open the door and then looked back at Gabe who was still looking at some fixed point on the road. He hesitated but without anything to say, he got out of the car and closed the door behind him. Standing outside the car he could see Gabe's knuckles whiten as he flexed his grip on the steering wheel and then the car drove away.

Sam did not watch Gabe leave as he had previously done but stared at the ground where the car had been. He stood there, head down, hands in his pocket, for quite some time.


	10. Chapter 10

Castiel's mind was lost deep in reliving the memories of his previous night with Dean, so he was taken completely off guard when, as he walked into his office, the door slammed shut behind him and a pair of hands grabbed at his arms and shoulders. Acting instinctively, Castiel grabbed one of his assailants arms, turned, twisted and flipped him over, down onto the floor. He went down, knee on the chest of the attacker and raised his arm, ready to deliver a solid blow to the jaw when he heard

"Whoa, babe! So not what I meant when I said I liked it rough."

Dean's voice.

He let out a sigh and slid his knee sideways off of Dean's chest so now he was straddling the man's torso. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead against Deans and smiled. Looking into his boyfriends eyes, he sighed again.

"Do not repeat that action. I could have caused you bodily harm."

"Yeah?" Dean replied, "I'd say you'd already done my body some harm only it felt so damn good I can't complain."

Castiel kissed Dean soundly, reaching up to cup Deans face with his hands. When he broke the kiss and leaned back, Dean grabbed his tie and pulled him back down for another kiss. He wrapped his arm around Cas and then flipped them both over so he was now the one doing the straddling. He lengthened his body out on top of Cas and was pleased to feel Cas's arousal pressing into him.

Kissing him again, he murmured against Cas's lips, "Damn, forgot to lock the door. Stay here for 2 seconds."

He jumped up and flipped the bolt on the door to the locked position but was disappointed when he turned around. Cas had gotten up behind him and was already straightening out his suit. Castiel was very strict about his no fooling around in the office policy. Dean kept trying to convince him that he was missing out on some very exciting sexual opportunities but Cas never budged.

"Caaaaaaas" It sounded like a whine because it was a whine.

Castiel did his little head tilt thing and smiled at Dean. Dean melted. Who could resist that head tilt?

"Fine." Dean grumbled, "But you are sooooooo gonna have to make it up to me tonight."

That got a laugh out of Castiel who reached past Dean, put his hand on the bolt to unlock it but grabbed his boyfriend with his other hand, dragging him in for a quick hard smooch before pushing him away and unlocking the door. His boyfriend. Cas got a shiver through his body everytime he looked at Dean and thought those words.

Dean watched Cas as he walked to his desk and around it. Damn he has such a fine ass.

"Cas you're killing me here"

"Dean you're confusing me here."

Dean smirked, "Was I not clear about my intentions? Cause I can lock the door again as make it a little clearer"

Cas seemed to think about it for a second before shaking his head "no".

"Why are you here?"

Dean grinned, "I remember the last time you asked me that question and the wild sex that followed. I am soooooo up for that. Again, want me to lock the door?"

"You are incorrigible Dean. No. Do not lock the door. I already get questioning looks from staff members and my brothers."

Cas leaned his hip against the edge of his desk and folded his arms as if he needed to lock them together to stop from reaching for Dean.

"You, my very enthusiastic love, are supposed to be at the airport dropping off your brother for his return flight. Yet here you stand before me. I cannot believe you'd let take a taxi out so what's happened?"

Dean sat down on the small sofa Cas had next to the door before beginning his story of Sam and the airport run.

"Did you know our brothers were dating?" He asked Cas.

Castiel eyes widened with shock but he didn't say anything. He simply shook his head.

"well," Dean continued, "Neither did Sam for a while. Turns out that the day you came over with the flowers and beer, Gabriel was tailing you around town and Sam caught him staking out my apartment. They ended up talking and then have spent part of everyday together. Gabe was dating Sam but my brother was clueless. Once he clued in however, he went all emo on Gabe because he was engaged once but she died and he's got survivors guilt. Last night I got home and he was all moody and sour. I think he actually likes Gabe but feels disloyal to Jess. After a few beers we got to talking and it all came out."

"I'm sorry, I have to interrupt. He actually likes Gabriel? Castiel looked incredulous.

"Dude I know right! I had some trouble with that too but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Sam is grounded, too grounded. Gabe will bring some fun to his life. Gabe is off the charts crazy but from what Sam has described, he's been very normal the past two weeks. Think about it, there has barely been any pranks going on."

Cas nodded to show he agreed.

"Anyway, their last moments together were not pleasant as Sammy had a mini melt down and both he and Gabriel were indulging in a round or two of misery."

"What does that have to do with Sam's flight? Has he cancelled it then? Has he decided to stay longer?"

"Nope. He's still leaving but I called in a favour Gabe owed me. This morning I dropped Sammy off at Gabe's apartment, told them to get their shit together and announce to your brother that he's responsible for seeing my brother to the airport and on his plane. I pointed out how pissed I'd be if Sammy had to find his own way to the airport. Then I left them alone. Together. And here I am."

"You are a wonderful brother Dean Winchester. I love you."

"Ditto hotcakes so how about you let me lock the door and you can show me how much."

Cas laughed out loud. A beautiful sound. "Like I said Dean….incorrigible."

Just then the intercom buzzed and Cas's secretary announce that his morning appointment was there. Castiel indicated that she should give him five minutes before sending them in.

He walked over to Dean and kissed him before pulling him to his feet and sending him on his way with a pat to the bum and a promise to show him much very much later that night.

Dean sighed dramatically but headed out the door only to bump into the woman on her way in. His heart lurched. The woman eyed him up and down before introducing herself.

"Hello there Handsome. I'm Meg Masters."


	11. Chapter 11

Frustrated, Dean pushed the performance reports for the engine he was modifying off the table. He'd been staring at it for the past thirty minutes but instead of numbers and graphs, all he was seeing was Cas's hand on the small of Meg's back as they left the building together. That was the day before. When she introduced herself outside Cas's office, Dean had felt a sudden knot in his stomach. He'd just smiled, unable to get any words out, nodded and headed off to the workshop. By the time he got there however, he was worked up enough over Cas's ex-girlfriend that he turned around and headed back to Cas's office to make certain that she was in fact his _ex_ -girlfriend. He got there just in time to see the couple leave together.

He was okay with that. He really was. He figured Cas was taking her somewhere private to tell her about being involved with someone and that their relationship would have to change. Cas was gentlemen enough to want to let her down gracefully. He'd not want to create a scene at the office if she was the type _(and she looked the type, right?)_. He was fine. Then Cas left him a message cancelling their plans for the evening because something "unexpected' came up. That's all he said. Something "unexpected" came up? What the hell does that mean?

Then that morning when he came into work there was a box containing a slice of pie and a handwritten card for him. Dean's heart had gone all gooey at the thought of Cas making the effort to make up for skipping out on him the night before but then he read the note and his good humour plummeted right down to his feet.

_Dean,_

_I'm sorry this is such short notice but I had to leave for Europe suddenly. Not sure how long I will need to be here but know that I'll be thinking of you for every second that I am here. I will try to call you often. Wait for me._

_Castiel_

He'd crumpled the card up and tossed it across the room. Dean felt empty, disappointed and just a little bit whiny but he didn't know why. He and Cas had only been seeing each other for a couple weeks and he knew Cas's job involved travel so there should be nothing about this situation that should make him uneasy. But he was uneasy. He ate the pie without tasting a single mouthful and then retieved the tossed crumpled card and put it in his jacket pocket. He was a big boy. He could deal. So he set out to do his work and was doing an okay job at pretending until his little table clearing melt down.

He was sitting at the desk trying to summon the energy to get up and pick the report documents off the floor what a hand reached from behind him and placed a bag on the table in front of him. The tantalizing scents of a bacon cheeseburger wafted up at him and Dean was grateful for friends. Without looking back, he knew it was Gabriel so he didn't have to look. He started opening his present, getting ready to dig in.

Gabriel walked around the desk and took a seat across from Dean. He put two uncapped beers between them before pulling out a handful of M&Ms from a bag in his pocket and laying them in a straight line in front of him. As he fiddled with the candy, eyes fixed firmly on the table, he said,

"That was a good thing you did yesterday, Dean. Thank you"

Dean swallowed awkwardly before asking, "So things good then? You and Princess Samantha all lovey-dovey now?"

Dean had spoken to Sam once his flight had landed and he was in a taxi back to his place but he'd been too wrapped up in Cas ditching him to press Sam with questions about Gabe. Gabe hadn't made it back to the office and for a few moments Dean had wondered if Sam even made it to his flight. Turns out he had and the only thing he was willing to admit was that he and Gabe talked a little.

"Lovey-dovey? Really? A manly man like yourself should not be using that phrase. Sam and I are not lovey-dovey but we are open to exploring any potential between us. "

Dean put his burger down and looked at Gabe long and hard.

"That's gonna be mighty hard to do with this much distance between you. Long distance relationships sucks balls"

After taking a swig of his beer, Gabriel agreed.

"Yes. After spending everyday together for the past two weeks, I'm finding that I miss the giant terribly today. However, distance may not be a bad thing for us. Your brother is very attached to his hang ups. Maybe if I give him the chance to miss me, it will clear things up for him" he smirked.

"Don't hurt my brother Gabe. You Novaks are so used to living in your own stratosphere; you forget what it's like for us lesser mortals."

Now it was Gabe's turn to study Dean. He could see the worried look on his face but knew not all of that was for Sam and him. He looked sideways to the paper still strewn on the floor next to the desk. Something else had Dean edgy.

"Oh my, DeanBean, what has little Cassie done now?"

"It's nothing." Dean replied.

Gabe eyed him skeptically and waited.

"Okay fine!" Dean relented, "He left here with Meg yesterday and then cancelled on me last night with no explanation and now I hear he's in Europe for God knows how long – he certainly doesn't – and I know none of it should bother me but it does, alright?"

"Dean, my brother loves you. From the very first time he laid eyes on you, he was a goner. So enough with the girly hissy fit and trust him. He won't hurt you."

Dean nodded and replied, "I know how he feels about me. I do. And I know he would never intentionally hurt me. But ever since meeting Meg yesterday, I can't shake this 'something-wicked-this-way-comes' feeling. I'm paranoid, I know. It's just that bitch gives off some serious demon vibes. How the hell is it that she and Cas connect like they do?"

With that he got up and left the workshop. Gabe watched him leave and when he was sure Dean was out of earshot, he pulled out his phone and dialled.

" _Luuuuucy_ I'm home!…..Your name is Lucifer not Luke and as your brother I get to pick the nicknames…..yeah well we don't always get what we prefer…..No I only want to know one thing. You sent Cas away, didn't you? ….Damn it Lucy!"

Gabriel ended his call and put the phone back into his pocket just as Dean returned.


	12. Chapter 12

Castiel was frustrated. It had been two weeks since he last saw Dean and his last words face to face was to promise him a night that never happened. Since then there had been missed calls, telephone tag and brief text messages. At first he was grateful to get Dean's voicemail. He was a coward he'd readily admit. There was no reasonable way he could explain this situation to Dean – it wasn't his to explain. So he was glad he could just leave a quick "hello-I-miss-you-I-love-you" and avoid the questions he was sure Dean would ask. Questions Dean had a right to ask. Like "When are you coming home Cas?" His repetitive "Soon baby soon" wasn't cutting it anymore. Last night they actually managed to connect but he could tell Dean was withdrawing. He'd promised to not hurt Dean again but there he was, caught up in a situation, not of his creation that was most assuredly hurting the man he loved. Some days, as much as he cared for Meg, he wished he'd never met her.

He let himself into his hotel room and almost had heart failure when he saw Luke standing there, waiting for him.

His brother was roughly the same height as Castiel but that's where the resemblance stopped. Luke was dirty blonde to his brunette. He was always dressed well and exuded charm and polish whereas Castiel always looked like he'd slept in his work clothes from the day before and didn't have time to change. Not that day though. Lucifer was dressed casually in worn jeans and a t-shirt which was enough in itself to put Castiel on edge.

"I'm not happy," Luke began. "You were sent here to achieve an objective and here you are two weeks later staring failure straight in the face. How can you call yourself a Novak? We never fail. We get what we want by any means necessary. So why am I here brother? Why do I need to put my life on hold and fly over here to deal with what was supposed to be a very straightforward matter?

"Because the matter is of your doing!"

Castiel was tired, angry and he just wanted to go home. He just wanted to crawl into Dean's arms and shut the rest of the world out.

"Now that you're here," he continued, 'You can fix this yourself. I am going home. You had to put your life on hold? What the hell do you think I've been doing? I have a life that is my own and I've had enough of being your little errand boy.

He did not raise his voice but he growled out the words so there was no doubt he meant every one of them. The growl combined with the fierceness of his look would have intimidated anyone but the Devil himself. Well anyone but Luke.

"Do not take that tone with me brother. I will not have it. I have cared for you. Indulged you. You owe your existence to me and you will obey me."

"No. Not in this Luke. Not any longer. It's time for me to go home."

Luke turned around and retrieved a rolled up newspaper from his travel bag and tossed it at Castiel's feet. When Castiel did not immediately bend to pick it up, he sneered at his younger brother.

"You think you have a life to go to? You don't have a life unless I say you do. Did you think your boy toy was a secret? Whatever fun you had is over Castiel. Now it's time to follow the orders of your superiors."

Castiel's head tilted and his brows knitted together in confusion. What was Luke talking about? Then fear set in.

"What did you do brother? What did you do?"

Luke only glanced at the newspapers. Smiling nastily, he walked over to Castiel, and never breaking eye contact, he reached down to pick it up. Still holding Castiel's gaze, he unfolded it and then refolded it before handing it to Castiel. Walking away he said, "I did nothing my little foot soldier. You however made the society pages in our hometown dailies. Thought I'd bring one over to show you how photogenic you can be. Everyone in the office was quite a-twitter about it"

Cas forced himself to look down. Even bracing himself for whatever had Luke so pleased, he was still stunned. There in bold colour was a picture of him and Meg, possibly taken a mere two days ago based on the dress Meg was wearing. In the picture, Castiel had both arms wrapped around her as they walked along the sidewalk and was smiling down at her as she looked up into his eyes. Even to him, who knew the truth of the situation, the picture looked like a couple very much in love and very much wrapped up in each other, blissfully unaware of the rest of the world.

"This is a lie." He said.

And it was. Meg had been emotionally over wrought and Castiel was just being a good friend, comforting her. It was nothing like it looked.

"This is a lie." He repeated.

Luke laughed. "Pictures don't lie, brother. They do however speak a thousand words which I would venture to guess is considerably more than you and Winchester have share the past two weeks."

Castiel's stomach turned at the thought of Dean looking at this picture. Their love was too new to be facing this. Damn it, he'd just got him back.

"Dean won't believe this." Castiel wasn't sure if he was telling Luke or himself this. "Dean will know it's a lie. "

"Will he? You haven't exactly been open and honest with him since you came here. Poor kid won't know what to believe"

"Because you've tied my hands! You've held me hostage and you are ruining my life!"

"I am saving you from yourself!" Luke shouted. He paced furiously, pushing his fingers through his hair. Stopping suddenly, he turned to Castiel, "It because I love you Castiel that I am protecting you from the evils that you succumb to."

Scorn and anger filled Castiel.

"What of the evils you succumb to? You are married to Lilith and yet still you indulge in the pleasure of the flesh outside of your matrimonial bed. I am here because you wish to get rid of the consequences of your sin. Well I've tried but I can't do it. I was there in the clinic with her. Supporting my friend through this but she could not do it. She cannot and will not abort the child of your congress. And I cannot force her to do it. You need to step up to your responsibilities."

Luke's face went dark as his eyes zeroed in on Castiel.

"I have many responsibilities brother. I am responsible for the care of our family since our father abdicated his own. I am responsible for the success of our company. I am responsible for the happiness of my wife but I am not responsible for Meg. I cannot and will not acknowledge this bastard. Lilith would dismember me. So now it's time for you to shoulder your share of familial responsibility. I asked you to accompany her so she would not have to endure the termination alone. But since you've failed to see this through…."

Luke's smile was ugly.

"Well then my baby brother, I guess you'll just have to marry her."


	13. Chapter 13

Gabriel was putting his foot down. Castiel was back at the office and Dean had made no effort whatsoever to track him down and clear the whole "photo" matter up. Gabe just didn't get it. It was like Dean had just given up on Castiel. Dean wouldn't talk with him about it, wouldn't respond to any ribbing; wouldn't react at all. Every time Gabe brought the subject of Dean and Cas up, which, let's be honest, was every time he opened his freaking mouth….well every time other than when he was stuffing it with sugar….which probably was a bigger number than when he was asking about Dean and Cas but really was the only thing apart from asking about them that he was opening his mouth for and how sad was that?…..okay off track here…well, every time he tried to bring up the subject, Dean just got all "Zen zone" with him. Dean would just retreat into himself and only respond with,

"Cas has made his choices. The rest of us need to respect that."

Respect that? Respect what? No seriously. He, Gabriel Novak, got his name as the "Trickster" because of his lack of boundaries. Did people seriously think he could respect anything? Uh….no. That's just not how he rolled. If Dean honestly thought he was going to leave it alone, the poor boy was delusional. Nope. Never. In fact Gabe always had a plan or two and Dean should know this. Thinking for a second that Gabe was not going to get involved….well whatever happened after was just Dean's fault for being willfully blind to the obvious.

Gabriel glanced at the clock on the workshop wall. He watched the second hand move down a few clicks and just when he felt it was where he wanted it to be, he walked over to the work table in the back where Dean was sitting and with a sweeping arm motion, swiped all of Dean's tools off the table and onto the floor.

"What the hell man!" Dean exclaimed, jumping up and back from the table. Gabe just gave him the stink eye before walking over to the door as if on his way out.

"You're an ass Gabriel! Truly an ass."

Dean got down on his hands and knees behind the table and started collecting the scattered tools, reaching under the table to retrieve the ones that had rolled there.

Gabriel opened the door to the workshop and waited…5 seconds…..4 seconds….3….2…and there he was.

Castiel came bursting through the doorway.

"Where is he? How bad is it?"

Gabriel closed the workshop door behind him and punched in a new lock code in the keypad next to it. Damn! He was good and his timing was never ever off. The three of them were now locked in the workshop until he, Gabriel Novak "Trickster Extraordinaire", unlocked the door and let them out.

Castiel looked frantically around the room and, finding no sign of Dean, spun back around to face Gabriel who simply popped a lollipop in his mouth, folded his arms and leaned back against the door frame.

"Well? Where is he?

"Cas?"

Castiel stilled. Dean's voice came from behind him. He turned around slowly and saw Dean standing at the far end of the room. Instinctively he began walking towards him before he remembered their current situation and stopped midway between Gabe and Dean.

"You are unhurt?" he asked.

"Of course I am," Dean replied. "Why would you think…?"

They both looked at Gabriel who shrugged and said, "If Muhammed won't go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Muhammed. I read that on a fortune cookie once. I think. Or maybe I saw it in a movie. I don't.."

"Gabriel." Castiel gravelly voice had an ominous tone to it. "Did you bring me here under false pretences?"

"What?"

That was from Dean, who looked thoroughly confused. Castiel turned back to him.

"I received a message saying that you were hurt in a work related activity and _my brother_ here needed my help convincing you to go to the emergency room"

Gabriel pushed himself off the door and walked over to Castiel.

"What I need Castiel, is an explanation for what the hell was going on for the past couple weeks and why there are pictures of you and Meg all snuggled up together in the newspapers."

"Gabriel, stay out of it," Dean warned.

"Yes, stay out of it Gabriel. It does not concern you" Castiel sighed and turned to Dean, drinking in the sight of him. They stared at each other for a bit and Gabriel let them, thinking that at any moment one or the other would start the dialogue needed to repair their hurting relationship. After a few minutes however, he ran out of whatever limited patience he had. He was about to interrupt the silence when Meg did it for him by knocking on the glass panel on the upper half of one wall.

She was walking down the corridor and having spotted Castiel, stopped to knock on the glass to gain his attention and waved to him. With her left hand. Which looked like it was it was wearing a sparkler. WTF!

Gabriel spun around and rushed to unlock the door. Out in the corridor he grabbed her hand and sure enough there was a decent sized diamond gracing the ring finger of her left hand.

Meg pulled her hand out of his grasp with a "What the hell Weirdo!" and then walked into the workshop to greet Castiel with a kiss to his cheek.

"Hello Clarence. Slumming today?"

The name took Gabriel and Dean by surprise. "Clarence?" Gabe asked.

"Yup," smiled Meg, "He's my angel and this is my version of _It's a Wonderful Life_. It's just my little pet name for him".

Dean looked as if he was in pain but still said nothing to Castiel. Gabriel felt he'd entered some alternate reality. He was sure super macho-Dean, typical alpha-male Dean, would have kicked into action when confronted with the source of his anguish. What the hell was going on here? It all seemed so surreal to Gabriel. Well he had questions if Dean didn't.

"Why is she wearing an engagement ring Castiel? Please, puh-leeze, tell me I am crazy to be thinking what I'm thinking."

"We're engaged you dumbass" Meg retorted.

"You and I? Hardly likely you demon bitch" Gabe shot back.

Castiel cleared his throat at that point and turned to Gabriel, "Please refrain from calling my fiancée any derogatory terms."

"Fiancée? Fiancée? What she get knocked up? Why in the hell would you be marrying her?" Gabe was incredulous.

Castiel's eyes darted downwards and reality fractured for Gabriel. He looked at his brother stunned and unable to believe the implications.

"She's pregnant."

"Yes." Castiel responded. "She is my wife to be and the mother to be of your niece or nephew"

He laughed out loud. Gabriel laughed out loud. It had to be some king of joke. Only from the look on Cas's face it wasn't. He looked behind Cas and Meg to where Dean stood with an unreadable face and a rigid stance. Why wasn't Dean fighting for the man he loved? He redirected his gaze back to Castiel.

"I don't doubt she's preggers but Cas, how do you even know the baby is yours?"

"Hey!" Meg interjected angrily but Castiel took her hand and gave it a small reassuring squeeze.

"I know Gabriel because Meg has only had a single lover for the past two years. Trust me when I tell you that this baby is absolutely a Novak."

Dean sat down. The sound of his chair scraping the floor as he pulled it back, sounded unnaturally loud in the room. Cas and Meg looked back at him but Gabe's eyes stayed n Castiel.

"You were sleeping with her all this time? Cas?"

Castiel's eyes left Dean and he looked at Gabe.

"If there is no emergency requiring my assistance, it's time Meg and I left. I'll give you some time but I do expect you to wish us happy and be a groomsman at the wedding."

And with that, Castiel led Meg out of the workshop leaving Gabriel and Dean alone in the silence. Gabe looking at Dean, wished for the first time in his life that he'd left things alone.


	14. Chapter 14

It took Sam ten seconds after walking into the coffee shop next door to the apartment building where he lived to become aware of the short blond man sitting in the far corner eating pastries and reading the newspapers. In the warm muted lighting of the shop, he looked a little like Gabriel and this made Sam smile. As he ordered his chai latte, he glanced back at the man but continued to stare. This guy looked a lot like Gabriel actually. Paying for his drink, he found that his feet automatically took him over to where the guy was sitting. The man folded the papers and put them to the side before looking up. Holy hell it was Gabriel.

"Hiya Samm-O! I was waiting for you to get home but here you are. Grab a seat. We need to talk."

What the hell? Sam sat down nervously. He had been thinking about Gabriel constantly since he came back. They had been texting each other and Gabriel had called him faithfully every night at the same time. He'd said nothing about visiting Sam the previous night but there he was; wanting to talk in person.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

Gabe choked on his chocolate croissant. Taking a large gulp of his Mint White Hot Chocolate, he leaned back in his chair and eyed Sam with a smile.

"Wow Moose, I wasn't aware that our relationship had progressed to the point it would have to in order to facilitate a _break up_. Have we been having hot passionate monogamous sex and you didn't let me know?"

Sam blushed. It was the cutest thing Gabriel had ever seen. God how this kid tugged at his heart! Apart from his ex, Kali, Gabriel had never reacted this intensely to anyone. He reached across the table and patted Sam's hand.

"Just kidding Sam. You know I love to tease"

He began to draw his hand back across the table but Sam suddenly turned his own hand over and caught Gabriel's in it. He left it there on the table, Gabe's fingers clasped in his own. Gabriel looked down at their joined hands on the table, out in public for anyone to see, but there at Sam's initiation and though his outward features were calm and collected, every atom of his being was doing a happy dance somewhat reminiscent of the Harlem Shake. He allowed himself a small smile and an inner monologue that consisted solely of "YAY!"

Sam cleared his throat as if clearing away some emotion stuck there.

"I'm glad you're here. I….umm….missed you. But what prompted the visit?"

"I missed you too you big goof. It's good to see you; to touch you; to just be next to you again. But it's our brothers though. I'm beginning to think you're the missing link in their relationship. Things were messed up until you showed up and since you've left they gone all screwed up again. I've tried to fix things.."

Sam rolled his eyes and uttered, "Oh no. Please say you stayed out of it."

Gabe affected a fake offended look. "I only did what any caring brother and friend would do."

"Screwed it up some more?" Sam offered but he squeezed Gabe's fingers so Gabe decided not to take offence at that.

"I gotta give you all the details before you pass judgement. Sheesh! You'd think a wanna-be lawyer would know how this works"

"I know how you work Gabe." Sam laughed. "But let's move this conversation elsewhere. Have you checked in anywhere?"

Gabe paused. He hadn't but he hesitated to tell Sam. Their relationship wasn't one where he could assume Sam would be open to him staying over. If they were just friends, sleeping on Sam's couch or Sam hanging out overnight in Gabe's hotel room, would not be an issue. They could spend the night together as they'd spent their days together. But there was no denying the underlying sexual tension between them. So should he tell Sam he hadn't and have Sam feel pressured to invite him over for the night? Or should he lie and say that he had booked a room somewhere but potentially be caught lying if Sam volunteered to spend some with him in the room? He wasn't sure what to do.

Once again however, Sam took the lead. "I hope you haven't. The guys I share with are spending the week in Mexico, so if you don't mind slumming with me, we'd have the apartment all to ourselves."

"Umm…doesn't mean I'm inviting you back for anything…ummm…you know…just we could talk without interruption, or one or the other having to get back anywhere," Sam added quickly.

Gabe smiled. "Sam-Wise, any time you share with me is not slumming but that which elevates me to a higher level of being. And as hard as it will be to keep my greedy little hands of your delicious looking body, I promise to behave."

"You do have little hands."

Laughing Gabe responded, "Yeah but I hear it's not the size, but what you can do with it, that really matters"

Sam rolled his eyes and got up. Seeing Gabriel's travel bag on the floor next to him, he picked it up and turned to head out the door. Looking back, he tossed over his shoulder, "Don't dwaddle little man, you'll need two steps to my one to keep up"

Gabriel followed him out the door grinning like an idiot.

Across the country, Dean was expecting the knocking on his door when it came. He opened it without checking the peephole and then closed it behind Castiel.

Castiel looked tired and worried.

"Dean. I wish I could have spared you the incident with Meg today. I did not know what Gabriel was up to and did not anticipate things unfolding the way they did."

Dean narrowed his eyes and grabbed Castiel by the shoulders. He pushed him back hard until he was pressed up against the door and Dean was pressed into Castiel's personal space for a change. His face millimetres away from Cas's, Dean just looked at Castiel for a second before replying.

"I know."

And then he pressed his mouth into Castiel's who received him willingly, gratefully, lovingly.


	15. Chapter 15

The two men lay in the darkness, on their sides, facing each other, looking at each other in silence, their bodies parallel, not touching. There was so much hanging in that tiny space between them. So many questions, so many emotions, so much hope for the future, so much fear for tomorrow. No more than six inches of space at any point between them but every atom of it charged to the point of explosion. Dean sighed as Castiel slowly brought his hand up to caress Dean's face. Dean reciprocated by reaching his own hand across to grasp the other man's hip, tracing circles there with his fingers.

"How did I get so lucky?" Castiel whispered, more to himself than his lover. He was lucky to have found love with Dean. He was lucky that Dean was willing to work at nurturing that love even when he didn't consider himself and the baggage he brought with him worth fighting for.

Two days prior, immediately after his conversation with Luke, immediately after agreeing to sign his life away to protect Anna, to protect Meg and the unborn Novak, to protect the family name and reputation, Castiel found himself knocking back several of those tiny liquor bottles on a flight back home that he didn't even remember boarding. Not normally a drinker, he was hoping for quick oblivion but instead he found that there weren't enough bottles numb the pain and the disbelief at how fast life throws you back on your arse when you think you're finding your feet. Castiel could focus on one thing only – he needed to be home.

Home turned out to be on the other side of Dean Winchesters door. He stood there, outside the apartment, hand raised to knock when he became aware of laughter on the other side, female laughter and his heart crumpled. Had he left it too long? Of course he had. He should have been completely honest with Dean from the start. It served him right if Dean had moved on. After the unexplained absences, sketchy phone calls and the pictures in the newspapers, he couldn't blame Dean, wouldn't blame Dean for turning elsewhere. He was just about to turn away and leave when the door opened suddenly, eliminating the barrier between him and Dean and the young sexy Goth girl standing next to Dean.

"Cas?" It was a stupid question. Of course it was a stupid question. The man was standing a foot away from him. Dean sounded as if he'd never thought Castiel would ever be at his doorstep again. Without another word, he wrapped the older worn out man in a big hug, holding tight as if Castiel would slip from his arms and disappear if he relaxed his hold any.

Goth girl snickered, "Is this the boyfriend? I bet you wish you'd doubled up on the order now." Looking past her, Castiel could see the delivery bags on the table. She was just delivering food, he thought. Of course she was. Dean was loyal even when it wasn't warranted.

Dean pulled back from the hug and smiled to the delivery girl as she made her way out, "Any sass from you and I'll take it out of your tip next time."

She chuckled as she walked away knowing Dean didn't mean it and Dean pulled Castiel into the apartment.

"You've got a lot of talking to do tonight Mr. Novak, but first things first…."

Dean had sealed his lips to Castiels while he began undressing him and if Castiel had thought he loved this gorgeous generous man before, he realized then nothing he'd ever felt before in his entire existence could compare to what he felt right then. The love they made was hurried at first, eager passion combining with hunger to propel them towards bliss but then Castiel changed the pace, slowing it right down to sweet torturous ecstasy. If he could not worship this man with words, then he'd do it with his body. And he did.

Much later as they shared Dean's meal, it all came spilling out. The trip to the private clinic, Meg's affair with Luke, the pregnancy and the ultimatum that he marry Meg or lose guardianship of Anna in the final year which would mean Luke forcing Anna to marry Uriel and giving up the life she'd worked so hard to build. So close to the finish, only to have this come about.

"So what are we going to do about this?"Dean had asked, " There's no way in hell we can let Luke win here."

There it was. One word, two letters and all the difference in the world. Castiel, for the first time in his life, was part of a "we". Not a lip service "we" but a bona fide healthy relationship functioning "we".

"I have an idea but it would mean playing along with Luke's demand until we can put things in place. I could never ask this of you Dean. It would mean some uncomfortable situations for you until this is resolved"

"You're not asking. I'm signing up. One, because it's time someone took that satanic bastard down a few pegs and two, "He leaned over and gave Cas a quick kiss, "because we're worth it."

Castiel had looked at Dean then and thought, "How did I get so lucky" and now lying across from Dean, it echoed through his mind, spilling past his lips in a whisper.

"Damn straight you're lucky" Dean smirked. "It's your eyes. I think they hypnotize me into this uncharacteristic sappiness. I used to be a manly man until you did your voodoo eye magic thing".

Castiel laughed. "And here I thought it was my sexual prowess that had you coming back for more"

Dean slid his hand over the curve of Castiel's rump, "Dude, you're the one who keeps coming back for more."

He rolled over onto Cas and started to kiss his way down his chest, when Cas's cell phone trilled loudly. Dean leaned back as Cas reached for the phone to check the display screen.

"Is it?" he asked.

Cas nodded as he hit talk.

"Anna, how are you?"


	16. Chapter 16

Sliding carefully out of bed so as to not disturb a sleeping Castiel, Dean glanced at his alarm clock. It was just before 10 am on the Sunday morning. Castiel had turned up late Friday night and they hadn't left the apartment since. The kitchen was still stocked with various delivery foods so they were good for the rest of the day but Dean couldn't help worry about what Monday would bring. As he plodded out to the kitchen to start the coffee maker, he realized he should have been worried about what Gabriel would bring. Sitting in his living room was Gabriel, Sam and someone who looked like the homeless guy who lived next to the dumpster two streets over. Boy was he glad he was wearing pants.

He was just about to ask "WTF?" when Sam put his hands up, palms facing out, in an almost defensive gesture.

"Dean, before you say anything, I just want you to know I'm only here to try to keep things in check. This was not my idea. I'm just trying to do damage control."

"Pish-posh Samm-O" Gabe interjected. "Don't be a Debbie Downer. Dean, we are only here because we care about you."

"Yeah Dean! Your drinking is destroying your family!" That was homeless guy.

"What?" Dean was flabbergasted.

Gabriel waved his hand at homeless guy, catching his attention, "David! It's not that kind of intervention"

"Thank the Lord," responded homeless guy and promptly pulled out a beaten up old flask and took a swig of whatever was in there.

Sam was sliding further down the recliner he was sitting in, trying to make his six foot four frame appear invisible. He just looked more awkward and uncomfortable than invisible.

"David," Gabriel prompted, "read the prepared statement".

As homeless guy pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, Dean stood there in his very own living room and wondered if he was in the Twilight Zone. Maybe he was still asleep, because there was no way this farce could actually be happening right?

"Dean," homeless guy began, "I haven't known you very long but what I do know…"

"Arrrrghhh! That's it! I've had enough" Dean turned to homeless guy, "Know me? You don't know me. I don't know you!"

"Sure you do. You give me change at least once a week and two weeks ago you gave me a bacon cheeseburger cause you thought I looked hungry"

Right. So definitely the homeless guy from the dumpster two streets over.

Dean dragged his hand through his hair in frustration. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on here. Why is there a homeless guy in my apartment? Why isn't Sam in Stanford? And why did I not kill you Gabriel when I had the chance? You all need to get the hell out of my home."

They all started talking at once and Dean could barely make out full sentences from all the noise.

"Don't disrespect David" That was Gabriel.

"I am so so sorry Dean but you've known Gabriel longer than I have so you know how he gets" this from Sam.

"Don't be like that Moose, if you were projecting positive vibes instead of being a negative Nancy this intervention would have worked. It still could" Gabe again.

"Any chance I could have a hot shower while I'm here? It's been a while since I've washed the boys" Homeless guy while grabbing his crotch. _What_?

While the three men talked at Dean and around him, Dean just stood there scrubbing his face with his hands willing himself to wake up from what had to be a horrible nightmare.

Then the sound of the bedroom door closing brought the room to complete quiet. All three visitors to Dean's apartment watched in stunned silence as Castiel, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants, hanging dangerously low on his hips, sauntered down the corridor, through the living area and into the kitchen without the slightest indication that he was aware of their presence in the apartment. Jaws dropped, they watched as he got the juice out of the refrigerator and poured himself a glass. You could have heard a pin drop as he put the juice container back into the refrigerator and took his glass and made his way back. The three men stared as Castiel stopped next to Dean pulled his head down for a passionate kiss and then whispered something in his ear. Three heads turned in unison as he made his way back down the corridor and disappeared into Dean's bedroom.

For a full thirty seconds Dean watched as various expressions of confusion and speculation filtered through Gabe's and Sam's faces. It was actually funny to look at. Homeless guy was just busy picking food remnants off his coat and tasting them. Damn if Cas didn't know how to make an entrance.

"Out! All of you. Now." Dean had had enough and he had a very creative boyfriend to get back to. "You all need to leave right now."

"Dean I live here!" Sam responded.

"Not for the next four to six hours you don't. Go stay at Gabe's place unless you want to see your brother and his boyfriend buck naked and getting nasty".

"Dude! Gross!" Sam looked like he was going to throw up. Gabriel however looked pensive.

"Is that an option?" he asked.

"Gabriel! Out!"

"Sheesh!" Gabriel replied as he made his way to the door. "I'm just saying that after all the trouble I went to set up this intervention, I should at least get to see somebody naked." He leered at Sam who rolled his eyes in response.

They looked back David the homeless guy who had dropped his pants and was about to shrug out of his coat.

"DAVID!" Dean, Gabe and Sam shouted all at once.

"Dude, get dressed and get the hell out of my place. Gabe and Sam will buy you a meal for your troubles." Dean grabbed his arm as the homeless guy held his pants up with his hands and escorted him out.

"Does this mean no hot shower for the boys?"

Dean pushed them all out the door, locked it and leaned with his back against the door before giving a huge sigh of relief. Gabriel was un-fucking-believable at times but he had a good heart. Looking up, he saw Cas standing in the corridor.

"Coming?" Cas asked?

"More than once I hope" he responded before pushing off the door and heading off to join his boyfriend.


	17. Chapter 17

Monday morning meeting at NSC was cancelled due to an emergency family meeting. Dean was sitting at a desk in the workshop sharing breakfast burritos with Sam, who was waiting for Gabriel. They were planning on spending the morning together before Gabe dropped Sam off at the airport for his afternoon flight.

"So what do you think is happening up there?" Sam asked.

"Beats me," Dean replied, "but I hope Cas is kicking ass!"

He sounded nonchalant but he couldn't help be a little worried for Cas. Going up against Luke was not for the fainthearted but he'd seen Cas grow stronger and more confident in himself as their relationship grew stronger.

Suddenly Luke stormed into the workshop.

"Winchester!" he shouted.

Both heads turned to a red faced Luke looking for all the world like Lucifer just risen from Hell.

"Which one?" Sam asked.

"Do I know you boy? Leave this property immediately or I'll have security escort you out!"

Gabriel popped into the room at that point, followed by Castiel, Michael, and a beautiful petite red head who Dean knew right off the bat, could only be Anna.

"This young man has an appointment with me Luke, and I'd appreciate it if you don't bellow at my guests" said Gabe.

"Then inform him of his place," growled Luke before moving to stand in front of Dean.

Dean stood up and squared his shoulders. He looked Luke dead set in the eyes. There was no way he'd cower to this bastard. This implied defiance just seemed to anger Luke even more.

"You think I don't know who you are? What you are? There is only one reason I allowed your presence here at the firm"

"My perky nipples?" Dean quipped.

"Enough with your insolence! You were only here so I'd have one more hold over Castiel. But instead you only incite rebellion! You're fired! Remove yourself from this building immediately."

Castiel reached across and took Dean's hand. He squeezed it and released it before turning to take his elder brother on.

"No Luke," Castiel stated firmly. "You are neither the hiring manager nor does Dean report to you. There have been no performance issues" (Gabriel snickered here and received a glare from Luke, Cas and Dean) "and no misconduct requiring termination. You are out of line."

"You've been out of line without being called to account for some time now but that time is over. You have already been informed that as Anna's guardian for the balance of her wardship, which you signed over to me once I agreed to assume responsibility for Meg and the baby you've created together, I had an independent competency assessment completed; the results of which show that she is a competent functioning adult with full capability to manage her affairs. I've initiated the legal paperwork to terminate her wardship early and she has engaged her own lawyers to review her finances for which you have been the steward. I trust they will find nothing amiss. If there is anything amiss to find, correct it before they get here."

Castiel sounded fierce. He sounded like an avenging angel and Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed or just the tiniest bit turned on by the commanding authority in Cas's voice.

"Is this how you're assuming "responsibility" Castiel? Deception? Subterfuge?" Luke sneered.

"I have not deceived you brother." Cas continued. "Meg's child will be adopted by me and will be raised as my own. What you choose to tell Lilith is your concern but the truth does have a way of making itself known. Without a partner, Meg has no desire to be a mother. Once the baby is born and the paperwork complete, she will be leaving the country to make a new life for herself elsewhere. I will fund this and complete the responsibilities I agreed to. What I will not do is meekly agree to cover your mistakes and no longer will I allow you to dictate what my life should be or how I should live it. Power is given and I regret that I gave it to you for so long. Control is taken and I am taking control of what is mine. No more brother. Your reign is over."

Luke sneered, "If you think.."

"ENOUGH!"

Michael's shout was enough to make everyone flinch. As head of the family he never spoke much but he was always heeded when he did. Usually he spoke with a gentle but firm persuasion, coming across as likeable with a hint of something scary behind it. You never knew exactly what you should be afraid of, you just knew you were. That shout however made it clear you should be afraid.

Walking to Luke, Michael put his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"You have said enough brother. It comes to my attention that our holdings in London require the presence of a Novak at the helm. Go home to your wife. Tell her that you are moving and contact a packing company. You need to be in London by Friday morning."

Luke looked horrified.

"Damn it Mike, you know what Lilith is like."

"Go." Michael commanded.

Luke took one long last hard look at Dean and Castiel before making his way out, pausing as he passed by Anna. Anna began to curl in as if to protect herself but a quick glance at Castiel seemed to give her the strength she needed to stand straight and look Luke in the eye. Luke grimaced and then stomped out. The minute he was gone all eyes turned Michael who seemed to be looking at Cas with new respect.

"I am impressed baby brother for the first time in a long time. I allowed Luke a free hand with you because you never seemed capable of assuming responsibility for yourself. The way you handled this situation however has shown a maturity and strength of character I did not think you possessed. My apologies for underestimating you. That said I will still be checking up on you when occasion warrants it."

With that Michael walked over to Anna whom he embraced saying "Congratulations on your independence. " And the he left.

"Whoa," Gabriel said to Anna, "sounds like you need to declare your own currency and come up with a flag."


	18. Chapter 18

AUC – Epilogue, Six months later

Dean looked around the table, at the people around him. The restaurant was a little too fancy for his tastes and his suit was a little too much suit for his liking but hey, apparently fancy and well-dressed is how you celebrate an engagement; with family and friends and champagne in fluted glasses. Sam was there. Gabe sat next to him telling an outrageous story about buying two dozen doughnuts for his ex-girlfriends book club but replacing the cream filling with salted mayonnaise. He'd hidden cameras around the apartment and then posted pictures of the women's faces after they bit into the treats, on their Facebook walls. And he wonders why she broke up with him.

Meg was there, sitting next to Cas. With three weeks to her due date she was huge but beautiful with it. Dean would never admit it but he'd grown to tolerate her presence over the past few months. She was very accepting of his relationship with Cas and included Dean in all the doctors' appointments, shopping and baby prep activities. Cas was going to be a father and Meg surprising was very gracious about not being a part of the baby's life.

Anna was there of course. She was the reason they were all there. Newly independent, she proposed to her boyfriend of two years. Who knew she had it in her? Apparently only she did. So they were there, meeting him for the first time and celebrating their engagement. And it was a good celebration.

If Dean felt a little wistful as he looked at the happy couple, it was his own fault he supposed. He glanced over at Cas who was smiling widely, caught up in Gabe's story. They were living together now. Dean and Cas had moved into a townhouse, they now called home. Sam had a room there. There was a room for the baby. There was a carriage house garage in the backyard where Dean could work on his "baby" when he felt like it. His life was perfect; Except for the one thing.

Dean had thought Cas was planning to propose to him ever since they got Luke out of their lives. There were times he would catch Cas looking at him and he knew it. He just knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. But it never happened. On top of that, Cas always referred to the baby as "his", never "theirs". Dean had overheard a conversation with the adoption lawyer suggesting the paperwork be in both their names but Cas had shot him down, asking that he alone be named as the adoptive parent. It made Dean uncomfortable to think that Cas would exclude him from that piece of his life. He'd thought that they were in everything together. But not this apparently.

Anna's laugh brought him back to the celebration and Dean couldn't help but feel just a tinge of jealousy. When did he become such a girl he wondered? Oh yeah, right around the time he met Castiel Novak.

Cas watched Dean from his peripheral vision. God how he loved that man. As the days drew them closer to the baby's arrival though, Castiel couldn't help but wonder what Dean was feeling. Dean didn't talk about the baby. Oh he was there for all the appointments and he was the one assembling all the baby furniture for the nursery but he didn't talk about the baby. They hadn't discussed names for the baby or what the baby would call them. They hadn't discussed sharing responsibilities or how a newborn would impact their schedules. Castiel had booked a couple months off and then would work part time from home but he hesitated to ask Dean to commit to anything. In the excitement of besting Luke, Castiel had taken on the responsibility of parenting without hesitation, without doubt and without asking Dean how he felt about it. He still hadn't had that discussion with Dean, partly because he was afraid of what the answer might be. What if Dean only wanted a boyfriend? He was much too young to be a parent. Having just got Sammy off his hands, Dean deserved some time to himself that was all about being a young responsibility free man. Cas sighed.

Meg got up make a toast to the happy couple but clumsy with her extended belly, she knocked her chair over and then proceeded to knock her glass over.

"Damn. My water." she griped.

"No worries," Dean responded, "We'll just have the waiter get you another one"

Meg twisted her face in a grimace.

"No you moron. My _water_. As in my water broke. I think the baby is coming."

All hell broke loose. There was chaos, confusion and excitement as they all scrambled to get Meg into a vehicle and to the hospital. It happened so fast, Dean couldn't believe he was in scrubs in the birthing room with Meg, Cas and the hospital staff. He and Cas were standing on either side of Meg, holding her hands and offering support. She screamed like a banshee. Dean was sure he'd suffered permanent hearing loss. Childbirth was messy and loud. It was awkward and bloody and for the life of him, Dean couldn't understand why women would willingly repeat the experience. But then the doctor announced,

"You've got a beautiful, healthy baby boy"

Dean's world stopped spinning and then restarted. He looked across Meg to Cas, his heart in his throat and blurted out,

"We're parents Cas. We have a son."

Castiel's eyes filled with tears as he struggled to find words. "Dean," he began but was interrupted by the nurse addressing Meg.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.

"They're the parents," Meg responded, "Let them have him".

Perhaps it was because Dean spoke first after the birth or maybe it was some higher power at play but the nurse turned towards Dean and handed him the baby. Dean cradled the baby gently in the crook of one arm and reached across Meg to hold Castiel's hand with his other.

"What are we going to call him, Cas?" He asked, "Since your family is all up on the angel names, I was thinking Ezekiel. Whaddya think?"

Cas's heart was about to explode. "Ezekiel John sounds about right".

Dean looked up sharply at Cas. He wasn't expecting that but he loved him for it. Looking back down at the baby, he crooned,

"Hey there, Zeke. It's me, Daddy. How about we go meet your Papa? Would you like that?"

Dean walked around the bed to Castiel but before he could hand little Zeke over to him, Castiel wrapped his arms around them both, reaching up to kiss Dean softly. The three of them stood there together, Dean and Cas locked in one of their infamous eye sex gazes, the baby in their arms between them.

The nurse tending to Meg almost swooned when she heard the proud fathers say to each other in unison,

"Marry me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it...what was my very first foray into fanfic and of course it had to be my OTP. Hope it was good the second time around reading it. And if it was your first, hope you liked it enough to read it again. *saucy wink*


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